Tag Archives: Immigration Attorney

This guide will give you some tips on preparing for your asylum interview in front of the asylum officer.

Practice Telling Your Story – Find a friend that you trust and tell them your story. If you are going to be using an interpreter, have an interpreter present when you are practicing. Allow your friend to ask you questions and listen carefully to the questions that your friend asks as they may provide you with an idea of where your story is confusing or missing details.

Prepare an Outline – Prepare an outline of your story so that you can remember the main points and especially the names and dates. You will want to highlight all the instances of persecution no matter how small. It is also important to make sure that you understand the order that the events occurred. You should also re-read your application so you know what you put down.

Tell the Truth – You MUST tell the truth even if you think that it is not helpful to your case. If you do not, it will likely hurt you in the end. Sometimes omitting important facts is the same thing as lying. However, in some cases, it may be okay not to volunteer information unless asked. An attorney will help you decide when and when not to disclose certain facts.

Speak Slowly and Listen Carefully – Sometimes the Asylum Officer will be typing everything you say. If you speak quickly he or she may not hear something important. You will have to speak very slowly. You will also need to listen very carefully to his questions and try to answer his precise question first before elaborating.

Details – The officer will want to hear details. The more details you can provide the more likely he will believe your claim. He or she may have just read your asylum application that day, or maybe not at all, so you will have to treat the interview as if he is hearing everything for the first time.

Beliefs – Be prepared to talk about your beliefs especially the ones that your claim is based on. If you are claiming political asylum, it’s probably important that you can explain your political beliefs. If you are seeking religious asylum you should know something about your religion. You do not need to be an expert, but at least know enough for the officer to believe that you are a member of that religion or political party.

Snack – Have a snack before your interview, but not too much. You may be waiting for an hour and the interview may last an hour or more so you want to be comfortable.

Attorney – You really should be working with an attorney who has experience in asylum law. The application is just as important as the interview. An attorney will make sure that you have a strong application with a significant amount of evidence. Some asylum applications may be over 150 pages in length. An attorney will be able to best prepare you and attend the interview with you. At the interview an attorney will mostly stay silent but they may speak of if they feel that the asylum officer is out of line or if there is any miscommunication. An attorney can also ask you questions in front of the officer at the end in case there is important information that the Asylum officer forgot to ask you or you forgot to provide.

Since 2009, I have limited my practice to U.S. immigration law, naturalization and citizenship law and asylum law. Immigration law is very complex and it is one’s best interest to work with an attorney who does not just dabble in immigration. At my office I accept the following visa cases: marriage visas, fiancée visas, student visas, family visas, H-1b visas, R visas, P visas, O visas, TN visas, E visas, J Visas, L visas, and M visas. I also take adjustment of status cases which is essentially the application for a green card while in the U.S. In addition to obtaining visas for my clients, I also aid them in extending their status and changing their status. For those clients who are already lawful permanent residents, I can help them obtain U.S. Citizenship. I also have experience with asylum law, both affirmative asylum at the asylum office and defensive asylum in immigration court. I will occasionally take a cancellation of removal case or a defense from deportation case. These are the majority of the cases that I handle at Olivie Law. There are probably other immigration matters that I have not addressed here but will likely handle. Feel free to schedule a consultation in order to discuss how I can help you. If your issue is not something that I do, I will refer you to another competent attorney.

I am a Seattle Immigration Lawyer, however, as immigration law is federal law and not state law, I am authorized to take immigration cases in all 50 states. As my parents and sister live in Tempe, Arizona, I visit often and can meet clients on these visits. For those clients who do not live in driving distance to my office, I can work with them over the telephone, through email, postal mail and also skype.

In Seattle, my office is located at 1617 Boylston Ave, Seattle in the heart of Capitol Hill. While my office is only open between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, I can meet clients at any reasonable time seven days a week including evenings and weekends. If you live in a nearby site, I am willing to travel to you. Thus, I am also a Bellevue Immigration Lawyer, a Tacoma Immigration Lawyer, a Renton Immigration Lawyer and a Kent Immigration Lawyer! I am willing to travel throughout King County and Pierce County.

If you are looking for an Immigration Lawyer in Seattle or anywhere in the U.S. feel free to call me anytime at (206) 724-1940, I would be happy to speak with you and set up a consultation.

Legal Disclaimer

The content on this website is informational only and general in nature. It should not be interpreted as specific legal advice about your case, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Each case is different and the law changes constantly, so it is important that individuals with legal questions seek the advice of an attorney. Olivie Law is not associated with or responsible for the content of any other website appearing as a link on this site.